Established in 1927, Plei Op Cultural Tourism Village in Hoa Lu Ward, Pleiku City, Gia Lai Province currently has more than 100 households with more than 500 residents. With a convenient location right in the heart of the city, Plei Op is an ideal destination for tourists looking for a unique J'rai cultural experience - an indispensable part of the traditional cultural heritage of the red land of the Central Highlands.
Plei Op, also known as Op village, was established in 1927 with nearly 100 years of age, with a natural area of up to 182 hectares, in the center of Pleiku city.
Visiting the peaceful village in the middle of the mountain town, meeting the gentle and simple local people, we were also told: "Plei in J'rai means village, Plei Op is Op village, a village of J'rai people. All residents in the village are still J'rai, not mixed. Therefore, everything, from customs, culture, and daily life, still has a strong J'rai character".
The good thing is that, although located almost in the center of Pleiku City, Plei Op has not lost its traditional culture or urbanized. This is one of the 7 traditional villages of the Central Highlands chosen by the state for preservation. Walking in the middle of Op village, visitors will feel the unique peaceful space, completely different from the noise and bustle of the city. The main sounds here are the rustling of the forest, the flapping of birds and the clear laughter of the children in the village. It takes a long time to hear the sound of a motorbike passing by.
Although located almost in the city center, Plei Op is not affected by traditional culture or urbanization.
Although located in the heart of Pleiku city, Plei Op is surrounded by Ia Lam valley and two streams, Ia Nin and Ia Nak, which babble day and night. Thanks to these two streams, the atmosphere here is always cool, as well as creating conditions for fertile land, lush fruit trees and crops.
Looking down from Pleiku city to Op village, visitors will see a unique landscape: a deep, vast basin. Mr. Siu Chel, the village elder, said that this is a volcanic crater that has been extinct for millions of years. In this basin, there is a special architectural complex including communal houses, stilt houses and tombs.
Village in the city but Plei Op still has traditional communal house.
Standing out in the middle of the village is the J'rai communal house with a high curved roof and a prominent pole in front. The communal house, considered the "heart" of the village, represents the soul and is the cultural symbol of the village, built high like an axe blade with materials entirely from wood and traditional bamboo. The whole village gathers around this house, all important cultural, spiritual and festival activities take place in the communal house area.
Around the communal house, you will find an exhibition area with 54 wooden sculptures, representing the daily life of the J'rai and Bahnar people. These statues depict all aspects of life, from gong and drum performances, xoang dance, to farming, hunting, drinking rice wine...
Wood carving is a unique cultural feature of the J'rai people...
With many different shapes, showing the life of the villagers here.
What is unique is that wooden sculptures not only appear in important places such as tombs and communal houses, but also in ordinary houses. This creates diversity in the shapes and expressions of the statues. Wooden statues in communal houses, long houses and houses often have a happy and excited look, while statues in tombs often have a sad shape, with expressions such as resting their chin, holding their heads or crossing their arms. This is a unique form of sculpture, representing an important part of the traditional culture of the Central Highlands people.
You can find wood carvings anywhere.
For tourists, Plei Op is not only an interesting tourist destination but also a unique opportunity to experience indigenous culture. Here, you can enjoy colorful stories and performances by village elder Puih Sir. In addition, you can participate in traditional crafts that local people still maintain, such as blacksmithing, weaving, brocade weaving, sculpture, and making traditional musical instruments.
In addition to these experiences, if you are lucky enough to visit the village at the right time, you will be able to participate in vibrant traditional festivals such as Pơthi (horse-waving ceremony) or the new rice festival. In particular, visitors have the opportunity to enjoy performances from the village's gong team, with more than 20 artisans, 12 gongs, 20 gongs, and 1 drum, demonstrating the diversity and enduring vitality of the local culture.
Gong culture is still preserved and conserved here.
But it is not only traditional culture that makes Plei Op a unique Cultural - Tourist Village. Cuisine is also a special attraction for tourists. Op Village currently has three restaurants specializing in serving Central Highlands mountain cuisine.
One of the most famous dishes here is grilled chicken with bamboo rice. The unique way of grilling chicken is by grilling far from the fire, letting the chicken cook slowly, creating a unique and different flavor. Chicken is usually carefully selected, marinated with honey, minced garlic, sesame oil, salt, black pepper and then grilled on a bamboo log. The chicken does not come into direct contact with the fire but is grilled around a large pile of charcoal, allowing the chicken fat to seep into the tree, creating a special, delicious and irresistible flavor.
Unlike grilled chicken with bamboo rice in other places, the chicken here is delicious and rich, combined with a bowl of dipping sauce and forest leaves to create an unforgettable taste.
